1997 Citroen Xantia SX review from Australia and New Zealand
"Small car handling with big car ride"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Electrics crashed in first two months.
Excessive brake disk wear fist three years (since fixed).
Head gasket needed replacement after 70,000k.
General comments?
This car is the best to drive I have experienced. Don't look to it for sporty handling and, with the standard 2 litre engine, performance is sluggish, but the handling is totally dependable and the ride on Citroen's oleo-pneumatic suspension is out of this world. Because of age I have now traded the car in and have not found anything on the market today of a similar size with a better ride.
Xantias have a bad reputation for reliability and I believe it is essential to have it serviced by a specialist in Citroens because of the touchy proprietary technology. I can only say that, while the assembly quality wasn't high by Japanese standards, I have had nine years of mostly trouble free, and very enjoyable motoring from it.
Subjective, I know, but I also think it is still one of the most attractive body shapes on the road.
If you can find a good one and have access to an experienced Citroen service agent I would have no hesitation in recommending.
Recommended reviews
| Nice car, but unreliable |
|
| Very nice car, but take a lot of looking after |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1996 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0i petrol Automatic |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 72500 kilometres |
| Previous car | Citroen Xantia |
| Date of Entry | 18th April, 2006 |